Great Western Coffee Shop

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"Sir, I could believe that the ticket office may have been closed. Or I could believe that the automatic ticket machine was out of order. But don't you think it's a bit rich of you to expect me to believe that BOTH of these things happened at the same time and prevented you getting a ticket before you got on this train?  That will be 20 pounds, please"

actually i disagree with you on this one, this information will have been sent out to all the guards .... scrap that it was sent out to all the guards, even if you come across a member of staff who had neglected to check it and was silly enough to give you a penalty fare after you explained it you would get an easy appeal

just a follow up

Yeah - forgive my "artistic license" ... but it's enough to frighten the nervous traveller to designate the station a penalty fare one then not provide ticket sales. I'm certainly used to having customers who are nervous about getting on a train at our station without a ticket (no TVM, no staffed office, and also no penalty fare notices ...)

National Rail tells me about Torquay station ...


Slightly behind the times there?

With my "conspiracy theory" hat on coud it be a subtle ploy to discourage rail travel, not proviidng ticket selling facilities and threatening penalty fares for travelling without a ticket? Or is it jsut a "Cock Up".

It's similar to the threat of penalty fares on the back of tickets issued on lines without penalty fares see thread on Coffee Shop.

It would perhaps be of some benefit if the public announcements of the lack of ticketing facilities include the detail that rail staff have been made aware of the situation and appropriate discretion will be shown on board or at interchange/destination.

Nothing is an easy appeal with IPFAS. I believe that they don't actually read PF appeals.

In the case of Torquay it is not at all unusual to find the booking office closed and the TVM out of action. Guards on local services issue tickets without question from Torquay, just as they do from permanently unstaffed stations like Torre or Dawlish Warren.  Staffing at Dawlish and Teignmouth is sporadic as well. FGW don't seem very good at retaining staff in the Newton Abbot area.